Turbine drive for cooling tower fan



July 21, 1964 H, A, MAYO, JR 3,141,909

TURBINE DRIVE FOR COOLING TOWER FAN Filed Feb. 12, 1962 (ho/244m Jib/wand ./@l. @W QJR.

@mPm wg United States Patent 3,141,909 TURBDJE DRIVE FOR COOLING TOWER FAN Howard A. Mayo, In, York, Pa., assignor to Allis- Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis. Filed Feb. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 172,529 1 Claim. (Cl. 261-25) This invention pertains to cooling towers in general and more particularly to the mechanism for driving the cooling tower fan.

Cooling towers are used in conjunction with many different types of commercial machines with the purpose of lowering the temperature of the water preparatory to its use in the machine. A cooling tower most usually comprises a pump for raising the water to a point above cooling decks, a system of piping for distributing the water which flows by gravity through the decks and a fan for moving air through the cooling decks to lower the temperature of the water as it passes through the decks.

It is necessary to provide a source of power to raise the water to a point above the cooling decks and, furthermore, to cause the fan to rotate. To lower the cost of cooling towers, arrangements have been provided wherein a pump is employed to raise the water to a point above the cooling decks and, furthermore, to provide sufficient head to the water to drive a turbine which is connected to the fan. With this arrangement, a separate motor is not required to drive the fan.

In designing a cooling tower, it is usually the practice to start with the following known factors:

(1) The amount of water required per unit of time;

(2) The amount of air required to circulate through a particular size of deck to cool the prescribed amount of water;

(3) The necessary fan size and speed to provide the required air circulation; and

(4) The horsepower required to drive the particular size fan at the required speed.

With this known information, the next step is to design a hydraulic turbine whichris most economically suited to fill the requirements above enumerated.

There are many known types of turbines available which will satisfy most of the requirements listed above but not necessarily in the most efficient and economical manner. If the turbine drives the fan at too high speed, a reduction gear system must be provided which adds to the expense and complexity of the cooling tower. If the reduction gearing is eliminated, it is quite possible that the full amount of water cannot be passed through the turbine without driving the fan too fast. If the turbine is only capable of handling a portion of the required water to maintain the proper fan speed, an additional pump and additional piping are required to deliver the remaining water to the cooling decks to satisfy the predetermined Water requirements. This also adds to the cost and complexity of the cooling tower.

It is the intention and general object of the subject invention to provide a cooling tower which is incomplex in design and which is inexpensive to construct.

An additional object of the subject invention is to provide a turbine for a cooling tower of the hereinbefore described type which will drive the cooling fan at the required speed and which will assimilate all of the water which is required to pass through the cooling decks.

It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a turbine drive which will vary the fan speed in proportion to the total water discharged onto the cooling tower.

It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a turbine drive for a cooling tower fan wherein the pressurized water is directed radially outwardly from a cen- 3,141,909 Patented July 21, 1964 tralized delivery source to impinge on circumferentially located impulse reaction blades which are attached to the fan.

An additional object of the subject invention is to provide a cooling tower of the hereinbefore described type wherein the delivery and discharge piping for the cooling tower water are employed as structural units for the cooling tower.

These and other objects of the subject invention will become more fully apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross sectional view of the cooling tower of the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view showing the turbine and fan arrangement on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken along the lines IIIIII of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly FIG. 1, the invention is shown as having vertically extending side walls 11 rigidly connected in any conventional manner to a bedplate or support 12. The cooling tower may be provided with a single cooling deck or may be provided with any number of individual cooling decks 13. These cooling decks, which may be constructed in any conventional manner, provide a labyrinthlike passageway for the water to gravitate from the top of the deck to the bottom thereof.

As herein shown, the side walls 11 extend above each cooling deck and have attached thereto a platform 14 having orifices 16 therethrough. Attached to the inner end of the platform 14- and supported on an inner wall 17 of the cooling decks 13 is a vertically extending circular fan housing 18. The fan housing in conjunction with the platform 14 in combination with the Wall ll defines an open top water chamber 19.

Centrally located with respect to the cooling decks 13 spaced annular flanges 21 and 22 are supported on the bedplate 12 and are connected in any conventional manner, such as by welding to a water supply pipe 23 The supply pipe 23 is connected to a source of water (not shown) which is to be cooled. Positioned in the pipe 23 is a conventional pump generally designated 24, the pump being of a suflicient capacity to move the predetermined amount of water to the top of the pipe 23 with sufficient added capacity to drive the cooling tower fan in the manner which will be hereinafter explained.

A water chamber generally designated 26 is supported in any conventional manner such as by flanges 27 and 23 to the pipe 23. The floor or bottom wall 29 of the water chamber 26 is positioned above the level of the cooling decks 13. The pipe 23 provides the vertical support for the water chamber 26. Generally three or more discharge pipes 31 are provided to connect the water chamber 26 in fluid communication with the chamber 19 provided above the cooling decks. These discharge pipes also provide lateral stability for the water chamber 26, for the supply pipe 23 and the elements supported thereby.

The top of supply pipe 23 is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced radially outwardly directed nozzles 33. A cap or cover 34 is provided at the upper end of the supply pipe 23 and has attached thereto, in any conventional manner, a plastic Water lubricated sleeve bearing generally designated 36 for the shaft 37 of a fan generally designated 38. The fan 38 has a large hub portion 39 having any number of blades radially extending therefrom and is herein shown as having four blades 41 attached to the hub 39 in any conventional manner. Also attached to the hub 39 and depending therefrom is a series of circumferentially spaced blades or impulse reaction members 42. These impulse reaction members may be attached to the hub in any conventional manher and are herein shown as connected to the hub by means of bolts 43 and spacers 44. The impulse reaction members 42 are positioned in close proximity to the nozzles 33 so that water as it passes through the nozzles impinges on the impulse reaction members causing the fan 38 to rotate.

Any conventional means may be provided to supply vertical or axial thrust support for the fan. However, as herein shown and described, a novel, eflicient and inexpensive bearing arrangement is provided. A plastic bearing surface 47 is provided on the cap 34. Attached to the under side of the fan hub 39 is a series of plastic bearing inserts 48 which are arranged to mate with the bearing surface 47. These plastic bearings will be 'water lubricated by leakage through the plastic bearing 36. With this bearing arrangement, the humid environment is not detrimental as would be the case with metallic bearings, but is in reality helpful.

In operation, Water to be cooled is drawn from a source (not shown) by the pump 24. The pump is of sufiicient horsepower to elevate the required amount of water to the height of the turbine nozzles 33 with suflicient additional capacity to drive the fan 38 at the required speed. As the water passes through the nozzles, it impinges on the impulse reaction members 42 causing the fan 38 to rotate. As the water falls from the reaction members, it is collected in the collection chamber 26. Since the discharge pipes 31 are disposed in a declining direction to their connection with the chamber 19, the water passes by gravity from the chamber 26 to the chamber 19 and hence through the orifices 16 through the cooling decks 13 and to a collection chamber 49 which is in fluid communication with all of the cooling decks, The water in the collection chamber 49 gravitates to a supply reservoir 50 from which the cooled Water may be pumped to the commercial machinery requiring the water.

Although but a single embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claim.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and the manner in which it is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

A water cooling system comprising: a supporting structure; an intake pipe connected to said supporting structure; a fluid pump connected with said intake pipe in fluid delivering relation thereto; a turbine-type fluid motor con nected in fluid receiving relation with said intake pipe on a vertical axis and presenting a stationary inner nozzle structure, a rotary member overlying said nozzle structure, and an annular series of reaction impulse blades depending from said rotary member in encircling cooperative relation to said nozzle structure; a stationary fluid collecting chamber surrounding said reaction impulse blades of said fluid motor in fluid receiving relation thereto; a fan structure connected with said rotary member for rotation in unison therewith; and a cooling deck structure connected to said supporting structure and communicating in fluid receiving relation with said collecting chamber and in air cooled relation with said fan structure, said fluid motor containing water lubricatable hearing means supporting said rotary member on said intake pipe for rotation relative thereto on said vertical axis, and said bearing means presenting concentric, relatively rotatable guide surfaces extending axially of, and in communication with said intake pipe, relatively rotatable axial thrust transmitting surfaces concentric with said guide surfaces, and passage means for conveying fluid from said intake pipe to said thrust transmitting and guide surfaces for fluid lubrication thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 678,979 Ridgway July 23, 1901 1,050,505 Wolfson et a1. Jan. 14, 1913 1,165,794 McClave Dec. 28, 1915 2,540,091 Brackney Feb. 6, 1951 2,672,328 Mart et a1 Mar. 16, 1954 2,863,652 Mart Dec. 9, 1958 2,975,791 Pansini Mar. 21, 1961 2,979,272 Thorrez Apr. 11, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 531,366 Germany Aug. 10, 1931 

